New private clinics in Nova Scotia

Healthcare :: New private clinics in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia's Tory government opened the door for private clinics to provide more public health care in the province with a bill to regulate the private system.

Health Minister Chris d'Entremont said the first step is to control the three clinics in the Halifax area that provide plastic surgery and MRI services.

"What we want to do is make sure that those facilities are licensed and are running under a set of guidelines," d'Entremont said.

The bill also allows new private clinics to be established and to perform some procedures currently funded by the public system, such as diagnostic procedures and day surgeries.

The bill ensures the government controls the growth of private clinics, d'Entremont said, "but, like I said before, we don't have an influx of people asking to set up private clinics."

NDP health critic Dave Wilson said he's still reviewing the complicated bill, but he has reservations about it.

Under the legislation, private clinics would have to be licensed and subject to monitoring by the province's College of Physicians and Surgeons.